Environment
San Francisco's Electric Bus Pollution Problem
There are no emissions of pollutants or noise from these electric buses that receive power from overhead wires; but it's the wires that are viewed by some as visual pollution. Powered from the city's hydroelectric dam, they are truly carbon-free.
These 10 Countries Are Ready for Renewable Energy
The World Economic Forum has reported on the state of national energy networks around the world and which countries are doing the most to embrace renewable energy technology.
The World's Most Polluted Places
The Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland recently released a list of places you definitely don't want to find yourself near: The World's Most Polluted Places.
Israelis and Palestinians Find Common Ground on Water
An historic agreement between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians aims to slow the disappearance of the Dead Sea and stabilize the supply of drinking water for all three groups.
U.S. Wetlands Disappearing at a Rising Rate
A federal study shows that America's wetlands are disappearing faster than efforts can restore and recreate them, with serious consequences for endangered species and our quality of life.
Bloomberg Pursues One Last Ban
Did anyone think the final month of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's third, and final, term was going to wind down quietly? After taking on cigarettes, sodas, and trans fats, Bloomberg is going after plastic-foam food containers.
East Coasters Aim to Force Midwesterners to Clean Up Their Air
Concerned that a controversial "good neighbor rule" doesn't go far enough in keeping dirty air from wafting over the East Coast, governors of eight states are petitioning the EPA to enforce stricter pollution standards on their Midwestern neighbors.
Vast Freshwater Reserves Found in the Last Place You'd Look
Australian researchers are agog over the discovery of 120,000 cubic miles of freshwater beneath the ocean floor. The reserves may help quench the world's approaching freshwater crisis.
Shanghai Halts Construction, Orders Children Inside due to Severe Smog
Off-the-chart smog levels recorded on Friday in China’s second largest city put its 30 million residents at risk and has authorities urging people to stay indoors.
Republican Rift Plays Out Over Carbon Pricing
Embracing the inevitability of some sort of carbon pricing scheme being adopted by the U.S. Government, many of the nation's biggest corporations are incorporating such costs into their financial planning. One major player isn't giving up the fight.
EPA has Underestimated Methane Emissions, Study Says
The EPA has seriously underestimated the emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas, methane, particularly from oil and gas activity (five times) and from cattle and livestock operations (two times), according to a new report published in the PNAS.
New Study Challenges 2 Degree Climate Change Cap
New studies published this week challenge the 2 degree Celsius global warming threshold and call for an early warning system to monitor climate shifts.
Big City School Systems Team Up for Eco-Friendly Food
An innovative alliance of urban school districts is working to lower the cost of eco-friendly supplies and source more sustainable food. Their efforts could provide a template for other schools and large institutions.
New York Has it Both Ways on Natural Gas
Plentiful natural gas produced from neighboring Pa. makes it easier for New York City buildings to comply with a regulation to convert dirty heating oil burners to use cleaner fuels like natural gas while the state has a six-year fracking moratorium
Confronting Our Culture of Overconsumption
Just in time for America's "annual season of excess", Lee Epstein looks at the well hidden consequences of our insatiable appetites.
Will Washington State Be Next to Increase its Gas Tax?
With Pa.'s Republican governor signing a dramatic gas tax increase bill on Monday, will Washington state follow in their footsteps in forging a bipartisan deal between the Republicans who control the Senate and the Democrat majority in the House?
Overtime Agreement Salvages U.N. Climate Talks
A day after the U.N.'s recent international climate negotiations were supposed to conclude, delegates reached agreement on a deal that keeps alive hope for a more substantial treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocal.
Proposed Gated Community Threatens L.A. Wildlife, Scientists Claim
A proposed gated community in Los Angeles County has provoked the ire of a group of scientists concerned about its environmental impact.
Global Insurance Firms offer Resiliency Tools to Climate Risk Cities
"Building Climate Resilience in Cities" was developed by global insurers and non profits to offer tools and technical assistance to urban areas facing development changes in response to climate change risks.
12 Bold and Bizarre Visions for Cities
There's no shortage of bold and bizarre ideas for how to make our future cities more livable, sustainable, and efficient. Whether many of these ideas are feasible is another story.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
